How long does it take to live long in the universe?

Living in a long, weightless environment can create profound effects on the human body, such as a long spine, small legs and a rounder face than on earth.

Body changes when living long in the universe

Most astronauts live and work on the International Space Station (ISS), at an altitude of more than 400 km , about 6 months . Recently, however, Russia and the United States recently sent two astronauts to ISS for a year. Scientists have proven that if you stay out of space for a long time, the human body will suffer from certain effects.

Mike Hopkins astronaut in space.(Photo: Reuters / NASA)

Prolonged spine

The astronauts' height can increase by 3% while in space . This can be explained by the fact that in very weak gravity, the intervertebral discs between the vertebrae are idle and relaxed, just like when lifting a heavy object out of a spring. When returning to Earth for several months, the height returned to normal.

Pensive muscles

In a gravityless environment, astronauts will not need muscle support . Therefore, their muscles almost immediately shrunk and removed the extra tissue that was not needed. To overcome this, experts on ISS are required to exercise two hours a day with a special exercise machine to maintain muscle mass.

Face swelling

The human body is mostly liquid. Under the influence of gravity on the ground, most of these substances are pulled down to the legs. In a zero gravity environment, liquids move freely throughout the body, making the astronaut's face look fuller, while the legs are much smaller than normal . This phenomenon will disappear after a few weeks.

Osteoporosis

Astronauts can get osteoporosis at a rate of 1% per month , making the bones brittle and brittle when returning to Earth. To overcome, they are required to exercise and have appropriate diet.

Vision problems

In 2013, 27 astronauts worked 108 days on the ISS with an eye test. The results that NASA announced later showed that many people had unusual changes. According to images of magnetic resonance imaging, 9 people have swelling of the optic nerves , 6 people have flat eyeballs . However, none of them had serious problems.

Astronaut Sunita Williams exercised on ISS.(Photo: NASA)

Impaired immune system

According to the results of a study published last year, living in space can impair the immune system. "Factors such as radiation, bacteria, stress, gravity, difficulty sleeping and being isolated "The effects on the immune system are bad , " said Brian Crucian, a NASA immunologist, who led the study. If this condition persists, it increases the risk of infection, sensitivity or autoimmune problems with astronauts.

The study also showed that, because of immunodeficiency, old viruses hidden in the body like chickenpox can be "awakened ", even though there have not been any symptoms in astronauts ever.

Difficulty sleeping

Astronauts have to hang themselves on sleeping bags every night and their gravity does not make them very familiar with the new sleeping position.

" Sometimes when you open your eyes in the morning, see an arm floating in front of you and wonder what it is, until you realize it's your hand, " said astronaut Marsha Ivins. To get a complete sleep, the astronaut has to overcome other challenges such as a bright flash of light when a cosmic beam hits ISS . Sleeping bags are designed to avoid this light, but only partially.

The average daily sleep time of an astronaut is 6 hours a day, although on schedule, they need to sleep 8.5 hours.

Loss of navigation ability

Astronauts may lose the ability to locate on the outside when in space, because the vestibular system cannot determine where is the ceiling and what is the floor in a zero gravity environment . The body will then gradually adjust to normal, but they are still a bit shy when placing the first steps when returning to Earth.

Impaired sensory functions

The pressure changes in space, causing body fluids to move freely, to match the face and cause congestion. "It's like when you catch a cold, your nose will be inactive, you won't smell anything and of course it's not delicious, " said physicist and astronaut Scott Parazynski. In ISS, they can only overcome part by giving a lot of flavoring and spices to the dish.

Astronauts sleep in sleeping bags.(Photo: aviationspectator.com)

Psychological challenge

All astronauts have to undergo psychological testing before they receive professional training. Even so, the feeling of isolation and imprisonment is a great challenge . Along with insomnia, weightlessness and sensory decline, you can visualize the psychological trauma of a long-term space trip. Many astronauts describe it as the hardest work they ever did.

Nutrition

Because the astronaut is not exposed to the sun, astronauts are very prone to lack of vitamin D and antioxidants (due to higher levels of oxidation in space). Iron metabolism is affected, blood iron levels are high due to reduced red blood cells. They have to keep track of the amount of food each week to make sure they maintain the right amount of nutrients. Normally, iron levels return to normal after a few months returning to Earth.

Exposure to cosmic radiation

The Earth's atmosphere shields about 99% of harmful cosmic radiation, but astronauts do not receive this protection.Cosmic radiation can damage DNA, cause cancer, cataracts and other diseases. The risk of radiation increases about 30 times. They often have to wear a radiation monitoring device to know when it is impossible to continue working in space.